Our community has turned the corner. There is a consensus. We are committed to eradicating child abuse.

You can help us win the war against child abuse by doing two things.

First, sign our petition. Visit the web site of the Jewish Board of Advocates for Children at: www.jewishadvocates.org. Our petition calls for new laws, such as, requiring our religious schools to fingerprint their employees, so we can avoid hiring registered sex offenders, and other dangerous persons with criminal histories; strengthening of our mandatory abuse-reporting laws; no corporal punishment; mandatory discipline of abusive employees; reform of our unfair statute of limitation laws.

New York State has the weakest laws in the country for protecting religious school children. It is no wonder that our religious schools have been afflicted with an abuse problem. This has to change.

Next, the week of October 17 through 24, 2010, has been declared, National Jewish Week for the Prevention of Child Abuse. The Week is endorsed by the Rabbinical Council of America, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Iggud HaRabbonim-Rabbinical Alliance of America, JSafe-Jewish Institute for an Abuse-Free Environment, Chicago Rabbinical Council, and Associated Talmud Torah of Chicago. Our web site proposes how synagogues, yeshivas, and all Jewish community institutions can participate through learning, speaking, listening, and doing. Please also visit the web site of the Orthodox Union, at ou.org, where the National Week is also promoted.